It could be a surly spot — clashes being a bit inevitable when young urbanites and old contractors inhabit the same cramped space — but it was also a unique destination amid the general gussying up of Capitol Hill and its Eastern Market area.

It was a place bartenders and servers could go after their shifts. It was a place Bud wasn’t consumed ironically. It was a place that, several years after indoor smoking was banned, still smelled of tobacco. And it was one of the last connections to the old Little Tavern hamburger spots that used to dot the Mid-Atlantic. When you are featured in a Zippy the Pinhead comic strip, you know you’re true-blue Americana.

There are a few of the old repurposed Little Tavern buildings left here and there — a Subway sandwich shop near Union Market, a doughnut and burger place in Laurel, Md. — but the loss of this establishment feels particularly sad. The thought of it being used to store more toilet paper or topical analgesics just kind of stinks.

While those preaching collectivism conjure up an ever-shifting mirage of illusions, those who understand individualism recognize that civilization is best understood through the motivations, decisions, and actions of the individuals comprising it.

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About Roll Call After Dark

Roll Call After Dark is about what Washington does when it's not at work.

The District of Columbia is a cultural capital where you can you get your kicks from movies projected on the National Mall, lectures on vermouth or Russian avant-garde art. There's always something to do.

Jason Dick is the Hill Life editor for Roll Call and has also worked at Greenwire, CongressDaily and National Journal Daily during his time in Washington. @jasonjdick